Sustainability indicators for small and medium enterprises in industrial clusters. (2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ordoñez, Robert Eduardo Cooper; Prevedel, Guilherme Erran; Vanegas, Camila Alejandra Leon; Trujillo, Jimmy Alejandro Carvajal; Anholon, Rosley
• Is Part Of: Latin American journal of management for sustainable development. Volume 4:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 191
• Page End: 204
• Publication Date: 2018
• Subjects: sustainability -- cluster -- indicators -- small and medium enterprises -- SMEs; 338.9807
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2052-0336

Abstract

The high competitivity in the market and the theme of environmental conservation that has emerged in the last 30 years has led companies, governments and many other groups to introduce solutions that meet the market needs. Indicators have been created as tools of action and control both for internal and external issues, aiming to meet the new demands of economic, social and environmental sustainability. Within these concepts, the companies organised in clusters have real possibilities to be in evidence because of their potential in knowledge use, experience exchange, flexibility and social impact. This article aimed to understand how sustainability indicators can be used for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) belonging to clusters, and what is the approach of academic articles. Through a bibliographic search, we understood the importance of the concepts of sustainability for the creation of competitiveness and social structuring. However, the low number of articles related to the proposed theme shows that, although sustainability is widely disseminated, its use by SMEs is not yet common, offering opportunity for deeper academic research.